I often see watch enthusiasts here and on YouTube forgetting some essencial things:
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Watches are an object in which “The beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. It’s not brand name or bragging credentials that make a watch good or even the design. It’s the personal taste of each of us
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The price doesn’t make a watch better. The variety and styles of watches can appeal to everyone regardless of their budget. Despite this, people buying fashion watches or less expensive brands, still face backlash
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Mechanical watches are not always better than quartz and quartz isn’t always better than mechanical. They cater to different types of audience. Usually the community acts like mechanical is always inherently better.
All things considered, it’s wonderful that there’s a brand of watches out there that provides finish and quality that matches a Longines or JLC for a quarter of the price and it makes its own movements for mechanical watches: Seiko.
Seiko, is what the entire Swatch group no longer is. It’s a independent watchmaker. Their Grand Seiko models, rival and even surpass Rolex watches in finish, quality, dial textures and more.
If Seiko was a Swiss brand, it would be the world’s biggest and most valued watchmaker
Having said that, why is it then that there’s so so many complaints about: the glass type they use, the Quality control which fails slightly in like 1/1000 watches? Why does anyone think Citizen can beat Seiko when Citizen’s movements are now a long way from those of Seiko?
Why aren’t more people grateful that a brand like this even exists?
Brings me to the final point: - Watches don’t have to say “Swiss made” to be good. Something that despite true the community also acts like isn’t true.
Grand Seiko isn’t a company, so it can’t be spun off. It’s a brand name owned by Seiko Watch Corp. In 2017 Seiko changed how they marketed the GS brand, and dropped the co-branding on GS watches.
Around that time, Seiko also created new companies to distribute GS watches in some markets, like GS USA, which might be what you are thinking of.
No, it’s an independent brand since 2017.
It’s now related to seiko the same way omega is related to swatch.
It’s very annoying how I’ll patiently explain something, and then people will be like “nah” and not even try to support what they’re saying.
You’re right, source is important.
I think you’re confusing the Seiko brand with the Seiko Watch group.
Here is how the Seiko group is organised. The Seiko brand and the GS brand are separate entities.
For the record, here is how the swatch group is organised.
https://preview.redd.it/llb91marfwvb1.png?width=628&format=png&auto=webp&s=d85e9c372b2bb3b3852b26cb4b05ebb339d76029
Even Shinji Hattori says GS lives a truly independent life
So again, Seiko and GS are both part of the same group, but they are independent from each other.
No.
Omega is a company with its own leadership, HQ, and production sites.
Grand Seiko is not a company, it doesn’t have its own Leadership, and it doesn’t have any production sites.
Longines and Omega have different CEOs. Grand Seiko doesn’t have a CEO, because, like I’ve said, it’s just another Seiko brand.
Grand Seiko watches come out of the same Epson and SII factories that make millions of cheap quartz movements. The high watch division in charge of assembling GS watches also assembles the high end Seikos and Credors (JDM jewelry watch brand).
Nothing changed in 2017, besides the words on the dial.